January 1, 2007

Brian Cibelli

Mike Manos

Keith Longo

MIDDLEBURY, Vt.—The Hobart hockey team forged a 3-3 tie with host Middlebury in the championship game of the Middlebury Holiday Classic in Kenyon Arena today. The Panthers earned the Classic crown with a 3-1 shootout victory, but is officially a tie.

Junior forward Brian Cibelli (Liverpool, N.Y.) was named the MVP of the tournament. Senior defenseman Mike Manos (N. Andover, Mass.) and sophomore goalie Keith Longo (Hopedale, Mass.) joined Cibelli on the All-Tournament Team.

Tenth-ranked Hobart (7-2-3) took a 1-0 lead on sophomore defenseman Michael Steiner's (Shaker Heights, Ohio) first career goal at the 5:34 mark of the first period. Senior forward Mike McCarthy (Medfield, Mass.) set up the only score of the first 20 minutes.

Sixth-ranked Middlebury (6-2-1) grabbed the lead with two quick scores to start the second period. Mickey Gilchrist needed just 11 seconds to knot the contest at 1-all. Darwin Hunt made is a 2-1 lead with a power -play goal at the 3:50 mark.

Senior forward Conor Bradley (W. Hartford, Conn.) netted his team-leading 10th goal of the season to even the contest at 6:21 of the second period. Cibelli and senior defenseman Mike Polsonetti (Lynn, Mass.) earned assists on the power-play tally.

Cibelli, who finished the tournament with three goals and two assists, put the Statesmen back in front with just under five and a half minutes left in the second period, but the Panthers pulled even just 21 seconds after that on Robert MacIntyre's first goal of the year.

Middlebury outshot Hobart 11-8 in the third period, but both defenses stood tall. Both teams put one shot on goal in the overtime period.

Longo finished the day with 29 saves, while Ross Cherry turned back 24 for the Panthers.

In the shootout, the Panthers led 2-1 behind goals from Eric LaFreniere and John Sales, while McCarthy converted for Hobart. Tom Maldonado sealed the shootout win, sliding his shot into the right side of the net.

Hobart is back in action on Jan. 6, when the Statesmen host Geneseo. Faceoff at The Cooler is scheduled for 4 p.m.